Black Entertainment News for Information

In this photo released by the Iranian President’s Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the staff next to a poster with a picture of late Ayatollah Khomeini, during a tour of Tehran’s research reactor centre in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012. In defiant swipes at its foes, Iran said Wednesday it is dramatically closer to mastering the production of nuclear fuel even as the U.S. weighs tougher pressures and Tehran’s suspected shadow war with Israel brings probes far beyond the Middle East. (AP Photo/Iranian President’s Office)

In this photo released by the Iranian President’s Office, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addresses the staff next to a poster with a picture of late Ayatollah Khomeini, during a tour of Tehran’s research reactor centre in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012. In defiant swipes at its foes, Iran said Wednesday it is dramatically closer to mastering the production of nuclear fuel even as the U.S. weighs tougher pressures and Tehran’s suspected shadow war with Israel brings probes far beyond the Middle East. (AP Photo/Iranian President’s Office)

This photo released by the Iranian President’s Office, claims to show Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, second left being escorted by technicians during a tour of Tehran’s research reactor centre in northern Tehran, Iran, Wednesday Feb. 15, 2012. In defiant swipes at its foes, Iran said Wednesday it is dramatically closer to mastering the production of nuclear fuel even as the U.S. weighs tougher pressures and Tehran’s suspected shadow war with Israel brings probes far beyond the Middle East. (AP Photo/Iranian President’s Office)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) ? Facing international sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran is taking the position that it’s the victim, not the aggressor. Iran is pointing to the cases of five slain scientists whose deaths it blames on Israel and its allies.

From Iran’s view, it’s been the target of clandestine hit squads for more than two years while the West has ignored Iran’s claims that the Israeli Mossad spy agency is the mastermind.

“Iran’s official line is that it’s under siege, not the aggressor. This shows up everywhere in Iran’s policies and statements,” said Mustafa Alani, an analyst at the Gulf Research Center based in Geneva.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke on national television Wednesday next to photos of five nuclear scientists and researchers killed since 2010. Nearby was a large portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holding the son of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a senior director of Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility, who was killed last month after a magnetic bomb tore through his car in Tehran.

During earlier ceremonies to insert domestically made fuel rods at a Tehran research reactor, Ahmadinejad lifted to his knee the daughter of nuclear electronics expert Darioush Rezaeinejad, who was fatally shot last year by a pair of gunmen on motorcycles. Iran’s nuclear chief, Fereidoun Abbasi, embraced the girl.

The ribbon-cutting was done by the teenage son of slain nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari, who was killed in a November 2010 blast that also wounded Abbasi.

“What Iran unveiled was mostly for domestic consumption,” said Davood Hermidas Bavand, a prominent political commentator in Tehran. “Iran tries to tell its people that it has achieved its goals and that it has achieved proficiency in the nuclear fuel cycle technology” despite sanctions as well as attacks allegedly linked to Israel.

Israel has not directly commented on Iran’s allegations, yet officials have offered tantalizing hints that plots are always possible among Iran’s many opponents.

For its part, Iran has strongly denied any links to a series of violent incidents this week targeting Israeli diplomats abroad. But Iran’s sharp allegations about Israel’s role in the scientist slayings ? as well as to cyber attacks targeting nuclear equipment ? serve to strengthen speculation of a payback campaign directed by Tehran.

On Thursday, Thailand’s national police chief claimed that three Iranians planned to use a cache of explosives to target Israeli diplomats. The Iranians were detained Tuesday after accidentally setting off explosives in Bangkok. A day earlier, an explosion in New Delhi tore through an Israeli diplomatic vehicle, wounding the driver and a diplomat’s wife, and an attempt was foiled in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Washington has urged allies to allow time for sanctions to pressure Iran in attempts to cool calls by Israeli hard-liners for possible military options targeting nuclear facilities.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday that it has added Iran’s ministry of intelligence and security to its list of specially designated global terrorists. The largely symbolic step freezes any assets the group may have in U.S. jurisdictions, bars Americans from doing business with it and bans ministry employees from travel to the United States.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said intelligence shows Iran is continuing to enrich uranium but that Tehran has not made a decision to proceed with developing a nuclear weapon. The former CIA director said the United States is open to negotiations with Iran to find a diplomatic solution, but he said the U.S. keeps all options on the table to ensure that Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

A commentary Wednesday in the Jerusalem-based Israel Hayom newspaper echoed the views of Washington that this week’s events suggest Iran is panicked by tightening sanctions on its crucial oil exports. But it offered words of warning that Israel could receive some unsettling blows from Iran’s suspected efforts to strike back.

“An optimistic view is that there is a chance that this pressure will push Iran to the edge where it will decide to suspend its nuclear program,” wrote Yoav Limor, a prominent defense correspondent for Israel’s national TV station. “But there is a second edge, a dangerous and volatile edge, which Iran has been toying with in the past number of days. They are playing a game that could end up costing us dearly.”

Such worries are not new.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran has been accused of orchestrating attacks and plots through its own agents or proxies, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah. In one of the most high-profile cases, prosecutors in Argentina alleged Iranian links to the 1994 truck bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, an attack which killed 85 people. Two years earlier, a bomb blast struck the Israeli Embassy in the same city, claiming 29 lives. Iran has denied the allegations and accused Israel and the United States of trying to use the case to taint Iran’s image.

In January ? less than two weeks after the Natanz deputy director Roshan was killed ? authorities in Azerbaijan claimed they uncovered an Iranian-linked plot to strike at Jewish and Israel targets in the capital, Baku. In the U.S., prosecutors allege agents from Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard were behind a foiled plan to kill the Saudi ambassador in Washington.

In Moscow, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, tried to distance Tehran from the Iranian suspects arrested in Bangkok.

“We don’t reciprocate with terror to every terrorist act and we don’t reciprocate to killings of our scientists,” the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Sajjadi as saying. “We’ll respond to Israel, but we’ll respond by political means.”

___

Associated Press writers Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran and Donna Cassata in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-02-16-ML-Iran-Politics-of-the-Slain/id-82a3a8cb4f2f4f4ebd73dbef8d43ce8a

irresistible embarrassing sweep troy dwight howard brigitte bardot nascar news

China’s vice president Xi Jinping is presented with a bouquet of flowers by six-year-old Lucy Lande outside the home of her grandparents, Roger and Sarah Lande, in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Xi visited farms and local industries in Muscatine in 1985. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

China’s vice president Xi Jinping is presented with a bouquet of flowers by six-year-old Lucy Lande outside the home of her grandparents, Roger and Sarah Lande, in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Xi visited farms and local industries in Muscatine in 1985. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, talks with area residents in the home of Roger and Sarah Lande in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Xi visited farms and local industries in Muscatine in 1985. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, right, greets Eleanor Dvorchak, left, at the home of Roger and Sarah Lande in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday February 15, 2012. Xi visited the city in 1985 and stayed in the Dvorchak?s home at that time. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

China’s vice president, Xi Jinping, center left, talks with area residents in the home of Roger and Sarah Lande in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Xi visited farms and local industries in Muscatine in 1985. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

China’s vice president Xi Jinping, standing center right, talks with area residents in the home of Roger and Sarah Lande in Muscatine, Iowa Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Xi visited farms and local industries in Muscatine in 1985. (AP Photo/The Quad City Times, Kevin E. Schmidt, Pool)

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) ? China’s vice president remembered the popcorn he’d received as a parting gift ? and the strong Chinese liquor he left behind. He recalled one young girl asking whether he’d seen American movies, and being shocked when he told her he’d watched “The Godfather.” And he often flashed that warm smile.

Twenty-seven years after Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met a group of Iowa farmers and business leaders during a diplomatic exchange to this Mississippi River town, the likely future leader of the world’s most populous country returned Wednesday for a brief reunion to reminisce with the first Americans he ever met.

“My impression of the country came from you. For me, you are America,” Xi told a group of about 16 people he referred to as “old friends.”

The relaxed gathering in front of a fireplace in Roger and Sarah Lande’s living room in Muscatine was a stark contrast to the more subdued, party-line approach Xi had while meeting with U.S. leaders in Washington earlier this week. During talks with President Barack Obama, members of Congress and others, Xi, 58, said little new ? and did little to narrow the differences that exist between the U.S. and China on issues such as human rights.

But in Iowa, Xi had the opportunity to show a more personal side away from the tough questions on policy, trade and international relations. Those who attended the 45-minute reunion in the two-story Victorian home said Xi enthusiastically introduced Chinese government leaders traveling with him, shook everyone’s hand and even made a couple light remarks. They were struck by his charm, described him as genuine and hoped his friendly approach to Midwesterners is a positive sign for the future of U.S.-China relations.

“The guy has a clairvoyant memory. It was unbelievable,” said vegetable farmer Tom Hoopes, who showed Xi his asparagus and sweet potatoes during his stay in Muscatine in 1985. “I can’t imagine anyone carrying himself any better. I was absolutely overwhelmed. He carries himself like a true gentleman.”

The Landes hosted Xi for dinner when he visited Iowa in 1985 as a 31-year-old provincial Communist Party official hoping to learn about manufacturing, crops and livestock practices and raise his people’s standard of living. His return to Muscatine in the middle of his U.S. trip comes as he is preparing to become party leader this fall and assume China’s presidency in 2013.

Xi showed little spontaneity during the tightly scripted Washington leg of his visit, particularly when compared with his wisecracking host, Vice President Joe Biden. But he did appear confident and at ease ? certainly more so than the current Chinese President Hu Jintao, who comes across as remote and aloof. Xi looked attentive, nodding and smiling when meeting Obama and other top officials.

Xi used his Iowa ties to show a personal connection with everyday Americans. In his main policy speech of the U.S. visit, delivered in Washington before he departed for Iowa on Wednesday, he made a strong call for more people-to-people ties between the U.S. and China, and referred to his 1985 trip to Muscatine.

“I’m going to tell my old friends there that the golden keys presented to us by Muscatine city hall symbolized the opening of local exchanges between our two countries,” he said. The local newspaper, the Muscatine Journal, reprinted a photograph of him accepting the key to the city Wednesday and saying then, “Relations between the American people and Chinese people are deepening day by day.”

Nearly three decades later, he did his part to continue improving that relationship.

As he arrived, Xi told Sarah Lande as she greeted him on her porch, “I like your smile.” Inside, he sat on a couch in front of a fireplace as the Iowa residents recalled their memories of his trip. He stood to speak ? through a translator ? when it was his turn and told Eleanor and Tom Dvorchak he remembered sleeping in their Muscatine bedroom in 1985, their curious daughter who asked him lots of questions and the popcorn they gave him as a gift.

Dvorchak’s husband asked whether Xi remembered the liquor he’d given them ? and he did. Chinese rice wine that was very strong.

“It’s inappropriate, but I love that man,” a beaming Eleanor Dvorchak said after the meeting, recalling how he’d even said she hadn’t aged since they last met and invited the Iowans to visit him in Beijing. “He’s just such a people person. When I see him, I have so much hope for the future. I really do.”

She said he seemed to be the same man he was in 1985: handsome, friendly and ambitious. And he had that same smile.

Xi also wooed Iowa residents during a state dinner Wednesday night at the Capitol, where officials and lawmakers praised him for his charisma and ability to connect with people. On Thursday, he will attend an agriculture conference in Des Moines and meet with a soybean farmer before heading to Los Angeles for the final stop of his tour.

While the tone of Xi’s visit reflects a different style to Hu, the vice president did not break any new ground on policy, emphasizing the fact that he is not yet empowered as leader. He has restated China’s standard positions on issues such as Taiwan ? the self-governing island that Beijing asserts belongs to the mainland ? and Tibet, where it faces unrest by supporters of exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama. He has also reiterated a demand that the U.S. lift restrictions on high-tech exports to China.

He did concede China needed to do more to improve human rights in his country ? a longstanding U.S. demand and constant thorn in relations between the two powers. But his comments mimicked those made by Hu during his state visit to Washington in January 2011.

Evans Revere, a former senior State Department official on East Asia, said through his visit to Iowa, Xi was seeking to convey a sense of his personal engagement in the U.S. relationship and that he takes it seriously.

“I think Americans appreciate that kind of gesture, as the Chinese would of an American leader telling a personal story. It pulls at the emotional heart strings a little,” he said.

____

Associated Press writers Matthew Pennington in Washington and David Pitt and Mike Glover in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-02-16-US-China-Who%20is%20Xi?/id-4f2b91a40645459883d4c2940f19d6cd

survivor redemption island facebook dislike button ralph macchio mariska hargitay international monetary fund jeep wrangler cassidy

LAS VEGAS ? With his trademark flair for spectacle, Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday on the famed Las Vegas strip ? just hours after Newt Gingrich’s advisers were spreading the word that The Donald would be anointing him instead.

Trump’s endorsement seemed likely to affect this Saturday’s Nevada caucuses ? and the GOP nomination fight in general ? about as much as a Sin City breeze disturbs the real estate mogul’s legendary hair. But he managed to create a stir of a different sort, at least for a day.

Romney said he was glad to get the support, but he seemed almost bemused to be caught up in the Trumpian drama.

“There are some things you just can’t imagine happening. This is one of them,” Romney said with a smile, looking out at the reporters and cameras jammed into the lobby of the hotel complex that bears Trump’s name. The real estate mogul had entered to applause, with Romney and his wife, Ann, at his side

“Mitt is tough, he’s smart, he’s sharp and he’s not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love,” Trump said. He vigorously shook Romney’s hand and said, “Go out and get `em. You can do it.”

But the endorsement was just the finale for a puzzling chain of events that began Wednesday when Trump’s office announced he would be flying to Las Vegas for a “major announcement” related to the presidential contest. Trump had announced last spring he would not run for the Republican nomination but had hinted as recently as last month that he might run for president as an independent.

What would he say in Las Vegas? Gingrich advisers suggested Trump had sent “signals” that he planned endorse the former House speaker. The Gingrich team began leaking word of an impending endorsement to news organizations including The Associated Press.

Nope. Reporters learned Thursday that Trump would be endorsing Romney instead.

Earlier, on a tour of a Las Vegas manufacturing facility, Gingrich made clear he had gotten the message.

“No,” the former House speaker replied when asked if he was expecting Trump’s endorsement. He added that he was amazed at the attention Trump was getting.

Romney hasn’t always been Trump’s man.

In an interview with CNN last April, Trump dismissed Romney as a “small business guy” and suggested Bain Capital, the venture capital firm where Romney made his millions, had bankrupted companies and destroyed jobs.

“He’d buy companies, he’d close companies, he’d get rid of jobs,” Trump said.

Romney, for his part, turned down an invitation to participate in a presidential debate that Trump planned to moderate in Iowa in December, leading Trump to cancel the event. And while Romney, like most of the GOP hopefuls, visited Trump at his office in Manhattan to discuss campaign strategy, he slipped in and out of the building without speaking to reporters.

Trump has played an unusually prominent role in the presidential contest since last spring, when he mused publicly about joining the Republican field.

He also stirred controversy and considerable criticism during that time by openly questioning the validity of President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, lending credence to the chorus of “birthers” who say Obama was not born in the United States and not eligible to be president. The fuss pushed Obama to release a long-form version of his birth certificate, showing he was born in Hawaii in 1961.

The president dismissed Trump as a “carnival barker” and then memorably skewered him at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, which Trump attended.

On Thursday, Romney said he was honored to receive the endorsement, but hoped even more to win the support of Nevada voters. The state holds presidential caucuses Saturday.

Trump, for his part, called Gingrich “a wonderful person” but said he had decided to endorse Romney two weeks ago.

“He’s a friend of mine, I like him a lot. I respect him a lot. But this is the way I went,” Trump said.

Trump said China policy was a key factor in his decision to back Romney. Trump has often accused China of manipulating its currency and “cheating” the U.S. ? a theme Romney has echoed on the campaign trail.

At a later event, Romney criticized the Obama administration on a different point of foreign policy ? the possibility of releasing several inmates from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as an incentive for the Taliban to join peace talks.

“A sign of good faith? Are you kidding me? A sign of good faith to our enemy?” Romney said.

Trump, a multimillionaire and host of a reality show where he famously proclaims “You’re fired,” said he wasn’t worried that his endorsement would hurt Romney, another wealthy businessman whose opponents have criticized as out-of touch.

“I really think he does connect, and he’s starting to connect really well,” Trump said.

Democrats, for their part, signaled they believe Trump’s endorsement of Romney could work against him. The campaign sent out video of the endorsement event on the president’s Twitter feed, with no added comment.

Rival candidate Rick Santorum said of the Trump endorsement, with no small amount of sarcasm: “I can’t imagine Donald Trump being hypocritical. That would be totally out of character for Donald Trump.”

Santorum added: “You know, Donald Trump does things for one reason and we all know what that reason is. And I think people the people of Nevada are smart enough to figure out who they’re going to vote for. It’s not going to be based on what Donald Trump recommends.”

___

Associated Press writers Kasie Hunt, Shannon McCaffrey and Philip Elliott contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120203/ap_on_el_pr/us_romney

botox mom models katy perry et kate gosselin tmz judgment day may 21 pirates of the caribbean 4

Share With Friends: | | Politics – Top Stories News, RSS and RSS Feed via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/176751229?client_source=feed&format=rss

krispy kreme jack kevorkian nadal murray true religion diversity saving private ryan james mcavoy

>>> president obama ‘s warning other nations not to interfere in iraq when u.s. troops leave by the end of the month. the president met with al maliki at the white house this morning to discuss iraq ‘s future. only a short time ago, president obama announced the troops would leave with their heads held high. he also promised the u.s. would keep a strong presence in the middle southeast and defend u.s. partners and interests, reacting to criticism iraq may not be ready for u.s. troops to leave. the president said the country is more be ready to handle its own security.

>> iraqi forces have been in the lead for the better part of three years. patrolling the streets, dismantling militias and conducting counterterrorism operations. today despite continued attacks by those who seek to derail iraq ‘s progress, violence remains at record lows.

>> and joining me now, nbc chief foreign correspondent richard engel . we saw the emotional scene of the president with al maliki laying the wreath at the tomb of the unknown. i saw your tweet as well. saying just how emotional this moment is and we need to understand with clarity what is happening. can you paint a picture of the situation, the security situation, in iraq , is it as the president stated today?

>> things here are much safer than they were at the worst point in this country’s modern history in 2006 , 2007 . and this is an historic moment. listening to the president and al maliki talking about the end of the iraq war . it has been nearly nine years since this war began about a million troops were deployed to this country and u.s. troops , 4500 of them never came home. more than 30,000 injured, about 150,000 iraqis were killed a trillion dollars spent. i spent the last couple of days going to american bases here and these were luke military cities in the past and now they are like ghost towns on one base, there were a few hundred troops. i was on camp victory today. that was one of the largest bases in the country. no more american troops on this base. instead just a few iraqis looking around trying to guard their new real estate. it is a — a turning point in this war and as the president said, this war is ending.

>> richard engel live for us in baghdad.

Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/45643567/

kevin garnett ann coulter showtime bodog hollandaise sauce etta james thor review

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit leaders plenary session in Kapolei, Hawaii on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit leaders plenary session in Kapolei, Hawaii on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

U.S. President Barack Obama talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit leaders plenary session in Kapolei, Hawaii on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, middle, shakes hands with Russia President is Dmitry Medvedev as U.S. President Barack Obama looks on as they take part in a plenary session at the 2011 APEC Summit in Kapolei, Hawaii on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. Asia-Pacific leaders held their annual summit Sunday, having claimed progress on a U.S.-backed free trade bloc that received praise from American businesses and labor, but drew a less enthusiastic response from China and Russia. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick)

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the leaders plenary session during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Kapolei, Hawaii on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

President Barack Obama speaks at a luau after the leaders dinner at the APEC Summit in Honolulu, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Sunday tied the hopes of a faster American economic recovery to the booming Pacific Rim region, saying “we’re not going to be able to put our folks back to work” unless the Asia-Pacific region is successful as an engine for the world.

“We consider it a top priority,” Obama said of the region where his administration is pouring in time and political capital to expand exports and business ties.

The president spoke as he dove into a day of summit diplomacy, proudly using his home state of Hawaii as the American foothold to the Pacific. He gathered with leaders of 20 other nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, whose nations span from Chile to China and account for roughly half the world’s trade and economic output.

In the midst of a hard re-election bid, Obama kept his message on jobs, even as he privately lobbied for help on containing the Iranian nuclear threat.

He was to cap the summit with a solo news conference in which topics on and off his scripted agenda were likely to emerge.

Born in Hawaii, Obama reveled in having the world stage on his home turf, while back east the Republicans seeking to oust him from the White House assailed his foreign policy record.

Obama used his moment to signal to business executives and Asian leaders that the United States has shifted from a post-9/11 war focus to re-engagement all across the Pacific.

“We represent close to 3 billion people, from different continents and cultures,” Obama told his APEC partners on Saturday, ahead of some luau entertainment. “Our citizens have sent us here with a common task: to bring our economies closer together, to cooperate, to create jobs and prosperity that our people deserve so that they can provide for their families.”

The president is on a 9-day venture away from Washington’s daily political gridlock. He will visit Australia and Indonesia before returning to the White House on Nov. 20.

On Saturday, largely a day of sideline meetings here, Obama prodded the skeptical leaders of Russia and China for support in dialing back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but without winning endorsement from either man. Neither Russian President Dmitry Medvedev nor Chinese President Hu Jintao publicly echoed Obama’s push for solidarity over Iran.

Obama did announce the broad outlines of an agreement to create a transpacific trade zone encompassing the United States and eight other nations before going into meetings with Hu and Medvedev where he raised a new report from the U.N. atomic agency. The report asserted in the strongest terms to date that Iran is conducting secret work to develop nuclear arms.

Russia and China remain a roadblock to the United States in its push to tighten international sanctions on Iran. Both are veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council and have shown no sign the new report will change their stand.

Alongside Medvedev, Obama said the two “reaffirmed our intention to work to shape a common response” on Iran.

Shortly after, Obama joined Hu, in a run of back-to-back diplomacy with the heads of two countries that have complicated and at times divisive relations with the United States, occasional partners in joint international endeavors, but also frequent rivals or adversaries on more difficult issues, especially those with strategic implications.

Obama said that he and the Chinese leader want to ensure that Iran abides by “international rules and norms.”

Obama’s comments were broad enough to portray a united front without yielding any clear indication of progress.

Medvedev, for his part, was largely silent on Iran during his remarks, merely acknowledging that the subject was discussed. Hu did not mention Iran at all.

White House aides insisted later that Russia and China remain unified with the United States and other allies in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and that Obama, Hu and Medvedev had agreed to work on the next steps. Deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said the new allegations about Iran’s programs demand an international response.

“I think the Russians and the Chinese understand that,” he said. “We’re going to be working with them to formulate that response.”

As the president held forth on the world stage, Republicans vying to compete against Obama for the presidency unleashed withering criticism in a debate in South Carolina. It was a rare moment in which foreign policy garnered attention in a campaign dominated by the flagging U.S. economy.

“If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” said Romney, a former Massachusetts governor.

Iran has insisted its nuclear work is in the peaceful pursuit of energy and research, not weaponry.

More broadly, Obama is seeking while in Hawaii to position the United States as a key player among economies that already account for 44 percent of world trade, a figure the administration believes will grow.

For businesses, Obama said, “this is where the action’s going to be.”

On the Pacific trade pact, Obama said details must still be worked out, but said the goal was to complete the deal by next year.

The eight countries joining the U.S. in the zone would be Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Obama also spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda about Japan’s interest in joining the trade bloc.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-11-13-Obama/id-4268ddc7c3794bafa911f2d3439e2d74

psn down rem playstation network down typhoon dwts elimination kelly thomas international day of peace

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) ? Argentine President Cristina Fernandez looks set to win easy re-election on Sunday after a dramatic comeback that has confounded critics of her unconventional economic policies and combative style.

A center-leftist who has given the state a leading role in the economy, Fernandez has rebounded from low approval ratings and angry protests by farmers and middle-class voters that erupted early in her first term. Polls show she could win more than 50 percent of the vote on Sunday.

Argentina has one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and despite high inflation and other signs of strain, the fiery Fernandez has a huge lead over a splintered field of opponents.

“She’s got a lot of character, she faces up to challenges. There’s no one in the opposition like that,” said Romina Yerbas, 37, a bank employee in downtown Buenos Aires.

Lower international prices for soybeans, Argentina’s top export, and a slowdown in neighboring powerhouse Brazil are fanning doubts about the sustainability of her big spending, high-growth policies, however.

Inflation estimated by economists at almost 25 percent is hurting poor families and driving up labor costs, fueling forecasts that Argentina may be heading for a hard landing during Fernandez’s likely second four-year term.

But with unemployment at a 20-year low and middle-class Argentines still enjoying a shopping spree, few think she will be in a hurry to change tack. If she regains control of Congress, as expected, her hand will be further strengthened.

“She’s unlikely to admit something is wrong with the current set-up and would probably position any new initiatives in terms of a more uncertain global outlook,” said Michael Henderson, an economist at London-based Capital Economics.

The president’s detractors say antagonistic policy-making and prickly ties with big business and the International Monetary Fund threaten to blacklist the country for good among investors.

A recent crackdown on economists whose inflation estimates double the official rate of a discredited state statistics agency is typical of Fernandez’s controversial methods.

UPSET INVESTORS

She stunned financial markets by nationalizing private pensions in 2008, the central bank is run by a close ally and businesses are routinely strong-armed into price control agreements and deals to increase their exports.

“It’s certainly one of the most market-unfriendly governments in South America … only Venezuela and perhaps Ecuador could top them,” Henderson said.

Among many Argentines though, who blame free-market policies for stoking an economic meltdown in 2001/02, Fernandez’s willingness to tear up the rule book is popular.

Memories of the crisis are fresh in many voters’ minds, and Fernandez, 58, often contrasts welfare spending and factory openings with the debacle that sank millions into poverty and culminated in the biggest sovereign debt default in history.

She says the country’s industrial renaissance and consumer boom is thanks to the measures began in 2003 by her late husband and predecessor as president, Nestor Kirchner.

Kirchner’s death of a heart attack a year ago prompted an outpouring of public sympathy. It also helped Fernandez dispel criticism he was running her government from the sidelines.

“It was as if she finally started her own presidency,” said author and columnist James Neilson.

Still dressed in the black of mourning, a more conciliatory Fernandez dashes her speeches with sometimes-tearful tributes to Kirchner, who she has called “a visionary.”

As well as keeping many of Kirchner’s policies and advisers, the Peronist president inherited several of his feuds with perceived government enemies, notably the farmers.

Grains producers in Argentina’s legendary Pampas grasslands complained for years about beef export curbs before Fernandez’s tax hike on soy exports triggered massive protests in 2008.

When her approval ratings plunged to 20 percent as voters rejected the couple’s handling of the conflict, some critics said it marked the beginning of the end of “Kirchnerism”.

Investors had hoped this year’s election might bring in a government more accommodating of their interests, but the opposition’s failure to grab the initiative dashed such hopes.

“There’s a sense that backing any opposition candidate would be a leap into the unknown,” said sociologist Ricardo Sidicaro. “That’s given Cristina support from voters who don’t exactly like what she does, but recognize she can govern.”

Polls give her a 40-point lead over her nearest rival, Socialist provincial governor Hermes Binner, who has gained a bit of ground since an August primary vote that set the stage for Sunday’s election.

Fernandez won 50 percent of votes in the primary, which was effectively a dress rehearsal because all candidates had to take part and none faced competition within their own parties.

To win on Sunday without facing a run-off, Fernandez needs to win 45 percent of the vote, or just 40 percent with a lead of at least 10 percentage points over the nearest rival.

She is also hoping to regain control of Congress, which she lost at mid-term elections in 2009, when voters punished her over the farm revolt and a sharp economic slowdown.

“The ruling party could be the biggest bloc in the lower house,” said Mariel Fornoni, a pollster at the Management & Fit consultancy. “Even if they don’t manage that, they’ll be in a position to control the house with their allies.”

(Additional reporting by Alejandro Lifschitz; Editing by Kieran Murray)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111019/wl_nm/us_argentina_election

don t ask don t tell dancing with the stars season 13 sam bradford nancy grace st louis rams charlie sheen roast dancing with the stars 2011 cast

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says he is ‘comforted’ that General Petraeus supports President Obama’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Washington

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says he will probably support the plan, expected from the White House Wednesday evening, to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan ? if the reduction is approved by General David Petraeus, commander of American forces in the country.

Skip to next paragraph

“I am assuming that what he is going to say tonight, General Petraeus approves of,? McConnell said Wednesday, at a breakfast for reporters hosted by the Monitor.

?If he does, then I would be comforted that this is a reduction that would not endanger the mission that has been going on for the last year and a half ? which I support ? which I think has made a positive difference, particularly in southern Afghanistan.?

The president is expected to pull out 10,000 troops by the end of 2011 and try to bring home another 20,000 from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed senior defense official. Some 100,000 US troops are currently in Afghanistan.

Senator McConnell said he had ?a lot of confidence? in Petraeus, who is leaving Afghanistan and the Army to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

?Most Senate Republicans support what the president has done in Afghanistan,? McConnell said.

The same cannot be said for US military involvement in Libya, however. ?There are clearly divisions among Republicans in the Senate conference, as well as out across the land,? on the Libya mission, McConnell said. ?In my own conference, I think I?ve got at least some members who think this kind of presidential action is actually unconstitutional. I?ve got some who believe that even though it might be desirable in a perfect world to intervene in places, we simply can?t afford it and it?s a matter of cost.?

And in a bit of candor, McConnell added, “I’m not sure that these kinds of differences might not have been there in a more latent form when you had a Republican president. But I do think there’s more of a tendency to pull together when the guy in the White House is on your side.”

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/nF78kZCf_I4/Afghanistan-war-Mitch-McConnell-will-back-troop-drawdown-if-Petraeus-does-VIDEO

consumer e.coli extreme makeover home edition notorious big indianapolis 500 lockheed martin indy 500